While it was sad to see the football season come to an end – but at least it was a glorious ending for New England Patriot fans – it's exciting nonetheless to get ready for another great year of baseball.

I am starting my fantasy baseball projections this week with a look at the top starting and relief pitchers.

Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer were the 2016 Cy Young Award winners in the American and National Leagues, respectively, which was a major surprise to many.

With that in mind, I will make some bold and questionable predictions to hopefully steer you in the right direction come draft time.

Starting pitchers

Max Scherzer

Washington Nationals

Scherzer has established himself as a stud, winning the Cy Young twice out of the last four years.

In 2016, he ranked second in innings pitched, tied for second in wins, first in strikeouts, third in WHIP and first in fantasy points for all starters.

If you owned Scherzer last year, I'm sure your team was very successful. He dominated every category, and as a result is coming off of a career year. He should continue to be a top-tier hurler this season.

Madison Bumgarner

San Francisco Giants

Bumgarner is one of the best and most reliable fantasy pitchers in the National League. He rarely gets injured, and always produces top 10 numbers each year.

Last season, Bumgarner was once again a beast, ranking tied for fourth in innings pitched, third in strikeouts, seventh in ERA, ninth in WHIP and fourth in fantasy points for all pitchers.

The hard throwing Giants ace has been producing successful results for years, and should definitely continue to do so in 2017.

Chris Sale

Boston Red Sox

The tall lefty has left the losing White Sox to join the dominant Red Sox rotation after last December’s blockbuster trade.

Alongside former Cy Young Award winners David Price and Rick Porcello, Sale will try to lead his new Sox teammates to another World Series championship.

Similar to Bumgarner, Sale has been a consistently elite pitcher for many years. In 2016, Sale ranked tied for fourth in innings pitched, tied for eighth in wins, tied for fourth in strikeouts and seventh in fantasy points for all pitchers.

Expect another year of Sale rocking and rolling on mound, but only this time it will be for the Boston Red Sox in the friendly confines of Fenway Park.

Clayton Kershaw

Los Angeles Dodgers

I know you guys must be thinking why in the world would I rank Kershaw so low but I have my reasons.

Kershaw carries a major injury risk, and is hard to count on. Last year, he suffered a major back injury that caused him to miss a lot of time.

On the flip side, when Kershaw plays a full season there is no one better, period. I would definitely want him on my team, but take the risk into consideration.

Jake Arrieta

Chicago Cubs

Jake Arrieta was my No. 1-ranked projected pitcher last season, and he came through with another big year.

Arrieta’s numbers obviously weren’t as good as 2015’s stats, when he won the MVP, but they were still elite.

In 2016, Arrieta ranked tied for fifth in wins, 14th in ERA and 12th in fantasy points for all starters.

The 2015 Cy Young Award winner has posted two straight outstanding seasons, still solidifying himself as a reliable No. 1 pitcher.

Jansen is my favorite closer, and has been an animal the last few seasons.

The Dodgers’ star has ranked in the top 5 in fantasy points for all relief pitchers in two out of the last three seasons.

In 2016, Jansen ranked tied for second in saves, tied for 12th in strikeouts, sixth in ERA, second in WHIP and first in fantasy points again for all relief pitchers.

The top relievers drastically change from year to year, but Jansen is always near the top of the rankings each season.

Mark Melancon

San Francisco Giants

Melancon has frequently traveled around the MLB, playing for many teams, but is still finding a way to dominate each year. He has ranked in the top 5 in fantasy points for relief pitchers throughout the last two consecutive seasons.

In 2016, the Giants’ newest stud ranked tied for second in saves, fifth in ERA, eighth in WHIP and fourth in fantasy points again for all relief pitchers.

The Giants are one of the most successful franchises of this generation, which means he should produce a jaw-dropping amount of saves.

Jeurys Familia

New York Mets

Familia has only been in the closing role for the last two years, and has already made a huge presence in fantasy baseball. He’s ranked in the top three for fantasy points among all relief pitchers in both the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

In 2016, Familia ranked first in saves, and third in fantasy points again for all relievers. He is only 27, but has already proven to be an elite reliever.

Aroldis Chapman

New York Yankees

I’ve never been a big Chapman fan, and I think he’s in the same boat as Kershaw. Both are unbelievable when they play, but they also spend a lot of time on the DL.

While his risk of injury is alarming, don’t let him drop too far in the draft, because his upside is amazing.

In 2016, Chapman only pitched in 58 innings, but was still able to rank tied for 11th in saves, fourth in ERA, fourth in WHIP and tied for sixth in fantasy points again for all relievers. But despite those numbers, still draft him with caution.

Francisco Rodriguez

Detroit Tigers

K-Rod is my all-time favorite closer, and is stunningly still producing huge numbers at 35 years old.

Despite just beginning his 16th MLB season, Rodriguez remains in the top 11 in fantasy points for all relievers during the last three consecutive years.

In 2016, the Tigers’ star ranked fifth in saves, and eighth in fantasy points again for all relievers.

Ryan Sullivan is a sophomore at Reading Memorial High School. He spent years talking with his dad about his fantasy sports teams, before joining his own leagues. This is Ryan's seventh year playing fantasy baseball. His favorite baseball players are Chase Utley, Jose Bautista, Albert Pujols and J.D. Martinez.